Of Plymouth Plantation - by William Bradford

William Bradford's book is a first-hand account of the Leyden Pilgrims' journey to America.  It is a story of faith and adventure.  It provides background on how America began - and how it appeared to people arriving almost 400 years ago.

The "Pilgrims" dealt with all kinds of hardships and suffering.  Bradford's wife survived the difficult crossing but died before setting foot on American soil.  The challenges these people faced every day is unfamiliar to modern readers - yet, Bradford uses understatement throughout his first-person tale.

We meet the pilgrims as human beings, not as the subjects of myth or projects.  They dealt with death and disease.  They worked through social challenges.  Attacks by Native Americans sometimes did occur. 

Although the language isn't quite the same as today's parlance, the story of America's beginnings seems more adventure than history with Bradford as our guide.